Clinical Pharmacist

Primary Duties and Areas of Responsibility Patient or non- patient facing Long-term condition Clinics Review where within the scope of practice patients with single or multiple medical problems where medicine optimisation is required e.g. COPD or asthma. Review the on-going need for each medicine, a review of monitoring needs and an opportunity to support patients with their medicines taking ensuring they get the best use of their medicines i.e. medicines optimisation. Implement changes or make appropriate depending on scope of practice. Management of common, minor and self- limiting ailments Managing caseload of patients with common minor or self-limiting ailments while working within a scope of practice and limits of competence. Signposting to community pharmacy and referring to GPs or other healthcare professionals where appropriate. Patient facing medicines support Provide patient facing clinics for those with questions queries and concerns about their medicines in the practice Telephone medicines support Provide a telephone help line for patients with questions queries and concerns about their medicines. Medicine information to practice staff and patients Answers relevant medicine-related enquiries from GPs other practice staff, other healthcare teams e.g. community pharmacy and patients with queries about medicines. Suggesting and recommending solutions. Providing follow up for patients to monitor the effect of any changes Unplanned hospital admissions Review the use of medicines most commonly associated with unplanned hospital admissions and readmissions through audit and individual patient reviews. Put in place changes to reduce the prescribing of these medicines to high risk patient groups. Management of medicines at discharge from hospital Review To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals intermediate care and into care homes including identifying and rectifying unexplained changes and working with patients and community pharmacists to ensure patients receive the medicines they need post discharge. Set up and manage systems to ensure continuity of medicines supply to high risk groups of patients e.g. those with medicine compliance aids or those in care homes. Signposting Ensure that patients are referred to the appropriate healthcare professional for the appropriate level of care within an appropriate period of time e.g. pathology results common and minor ailments acute conditions long term condition reviews etc. Repeat prescribing Review practice repeat prescribing policy. Manage the repeat prescribing reauthorisation process by reviewing patient requests for repeat prescriptions and reviewing medicines reaching review dates and flagging up those needing a review. Ensure patients have appropriate monitoring tests in place when required. Risk stratification Identification of cohorts of patients at high risk of harm from medicines through pre-prepared practice computer searches. eg. ECLIPSE reporting tool Service development Contribute pharmaceutical advice for the development and implementation of new services that have medicinal components e.g. advice on treatment pathways and patient information leaflets. Information management Analyse interpret and present medicines data to highlight issues and risks to support decision- making. Medicines quality improvement Undertake clinical audits of prescribing in areas directed by the GPs feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the practice team. Medicines safety Implement changes to medicines that result from MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local and national guidance. Implementation of local and national guidelines and formulary recommendations Monitor practice prescribing against the local health economies RAG list and make recommendations to GPs for medicines that should be prescribed by hospital doctors - red drugs or subject to shared care - amber drugs. Assist practices in seeing and maintaining a practice formulary that is hosted on the practices computer system. Education and Training Provide education and training to primary healthcare team on therapeutics and medicines optimisation as requested by prescribing lead. Care Quality Commission Work with the general practice team to ensure the practice is compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved. Public health To support public health campaigns. To provide specialist knowledge on all public health programmes available to the general public. Collaborative Working Relationships Recognises the roles of other colleagues within the organisation and their role to patient care Demonstrates use of appropriate communication to gain the co-operation of relevant stakeholders including patients senior and peer colleagues, and other professionals other NHS or private organisations e.g. CCGs Demonstrates ability to work as a member of a team able to recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleagues when necessary Actively work toward developing and maintaining effective working relationships both within and outside the practice and locality Liaises with CCG colleagues including CCG Pharmacists on prescribing related matters to ensure consistency of patient care and benefit Liaises with CCG pharmacists and Heads of Medicines Management or Optimisation to benefit from peer support Liaises with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patients including but not limited to Patients GP nurses and other practice staff other healthcare professionals including CCG pharmacists pharmacy technicians optometrists dentists health and social care teams and dieticians etc. Locality GP prescribing lead Locality managers Community nurses and other allied health professionals Community and hospital pharmacy teams, Hospital staff with responsibilities for prescribing and medicines optimisation. TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Taking responsibility for own development with relevant evidence-based knowledge and competence in all aspects of the role to meet clinical governance guidelines for Continuing Professional Development - CPD and a Personal Development Plan - PDP. Stay up to date through attendance at any courses and or study days necessary to ensure that professional development requirements are met demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work. Subject to a performance review including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and or professional development. Work closely with other clinical staff and administrative managers in the setting up and or improving of practice systems for monitoring and or measuring performance against Clinical Governance and Quality Indicator targets Work to deliver the NHS contract requirements related to the practice including the terms of the Quality and Outcomes Framework and locally enhanced services Commit to take and pass the necessary Physician Associate re-certification exams currently every 6 years to maintain qualifications required to carry out duties of the role and as statutory regulatory bodies require. GOVERNANCE Produce complete and accurate records of patient consultation in line with best practice confidentiality policies and procedures Deliver care according to NHS guidance NICE guidelines and evidence-based care Take part in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes across the Practice and its activities. Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team implementing improvements where required. Work with other clinical teams on improving the quality of healthcare in response to local and national policies and initiatives as appropriate Evaluate patients response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care Support and participate in shared learning across the practice and wider organisation Manage review and identify learning from patient complaints clinical incidents and near-miss events Awareness of statutory safeguarding notification processes and local guidance for children or vulnerable patients. Applying relevant policies and legislation to protect them Ensure compliance with policies, procedures and guidelines for self and others by taking action or alerting senior management team if the practice appears to contravene policy or if there are concerns over any aspect of patient care. CONFIDENTIALITY Maintain confidentiality of information always acting within the terms of the Data Protection Act and Caldicott guidance on patient confidentiality. Maintain an awareness of the Freedom of Information Act. Information relating to patients carers colleagues other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the Practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data Job description Job responsibilities Primary Duties and Areas of Responsibility Patient or non- patient facing Long-term condition Clinics Review where within the scope of practice patients with single or multiple medical problems where medicine optimisation is required e.g. COPD or asthma. Review the on-going need for each medicine, a review of monitoring needs and an opportunity to support patients with their medicines taking ensuring they get the best use of their medicines i.e. medicines optimisation. Implement changes or make appropriate depending on scope of practice. Management of common, minor and self- limiting ailments Managing caseload of patients with common minor or self-limiting ailments while working within a scope of practice and limits of competence. Signposting to community pharmacy and referring to GPs or other healthcare professionals where appropriate. Patient facing medicines support Provide patient facing clinics for those with questions queries and concerns about their medicines in the practice Telephone medicines support Provide a telephone help line for patients with questions queries and concerns about their medicines. Medicine information to practice staff and patients Answers relevant medicine-related enquiries from GPs other practice staff, other healthcare teams e.g. community pharmacy and patients with queries about medicines. Suggesting and recommending solutions. Providing follow up for patients to monitor the effect of any changes Unplanned hospital admissions Review the use of medicines most commonly associated with unplanned hospital admissions and readmissions through audit and individual patient reviews. Put in place changes to reduce the prescribing of these medicines to high risk patient groups. Management of medicines at discharge from hospital Review To reconcile medicines following discharge from hospitals intermediate care and into care homes including identifying and rectifying unexplained changes and working with patients and community pharmacists to ensure patients receive the medicines they need post discharge. Set up and manage systems to ensure continuity of medicines supply to high risk groups of patients e.g. those with medicine compliance aids or those in care homes. Signposting Ensure that patients are referred to the appropriate healthcare professional for the appropriate level of care within an appropriate period of time e.g. pathology results common and minor ailments acute conditions long term condition reviews etc. Repeat prescribing Review practice repeat prescribing policy. Manage the repeat prescribing reauthorisation process by reviewing patient requests for repeat prescriptions and reviewing medicines reaching review dates and flagging up those needing a review. Ensure patients have appropriate monitoring tests in place when required. Risk stratification Identification of cohorts of patients at high risk of harm from medicines through pre-prepared practice computer searches. eg. ECLIPSE reporting tool Service development Contribute pharmaceutical advice for the development and implementation of new services that have medicinal components e.g. advice on treatment pathways and patient information leaflets. Information management Analyse interpret and present medicines data to highlight issues and risks to support decision- making. Medicines quality improvement Undertake clinical audits of prescribing in areas directed by the GPs feedback the results and implement changes in conjunction with the practice team. Medicines safety Implement changes to medicines that result from MHRA alerts, product withdrawal and other local and national guidance. Implementation of local and national guidelines and formulary recommendations Monitor practice prescribing against the local health economies RAG list and make recommendations to GPs for medicines that should be prescribed by hospital doctors - red drugs or subject to shared care - amber drugs. Assist practices in seeing and maintaining a practice formulary that is hosted on the practices computer system. Education and Training Provide education and training to primary healthcare team on therapeutics and medicines optimisation as requested by prescribing lead. Care Quality Commission Work with the general practice team to ensure the practice is compliant with CQC standards where medicines are involved. Public health To support public health campaigns. To provide specialist knowledge on all public health programmes available to the general public. Collaborative Working Relationships Recognises the roles of other colleagues within the organisation and their role to patient care Demonstrates use of appropriate communication to gain the co-operation of relevant stakeholders including patients senior and peer colleagues, and other professionals other NHS or private organisations e.g. CCGs Demonstrates ability to work as a member of a team able to recognise personal limitations and refer to more appropriate colleagues when necessary Actively work toward developing and maintaining effective working relationships both within and outside the practice and locality Liaises with CCG colleagues including CCG Pharmacists on prescribing related matters to ensure consistency of patient care and benefit Liaises with CCG pharmacists and Heads of Medicines Management or Optimisation to benefit from peer support Liaises with other stakeholders as needed for the collective benefit of patients including but not limited to Patients GP nurses and other practice staff other healthcare professionals including CCG pharmacists pharmacy technicians optometrists dentists health and social care teams and dieticians etc. Locality GP prescribing lead Locality managers Community nurses and other allied health professionals Community and hospital pharmacy teams, Hospital staff with responsibilities for prescribing and medicines optimisation. TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT Taking responsibility for own development with relevant evidence-based knowledge and competence in all aspects of the role to meet clinical governance guidelines for Continuing Professional Development - CPD and a Personal Development Plan - PDP. Stay up to date through attendance at any courses and or study days necessary to ensure that professional development requirements are met demonstrating skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work. Subject to a performance review including taking responsibility for maintaining a record of own personal and or professional development. Work closely with other clinical staff and administrative managers in the setting up and or improving of practice systems for monitoring and or measuring performance against Clinical Governance and Quality Indicator targets Work to deliver the NHS contract requirements related to the practice including the terms of the Quality and Outcomes Framework and locally enhanced services Commit to take and pass the necessary Physician Associate re-certification exams currently every 6 years to maintain qualifications required to carry out duties of the role and as statutory regulatory bodies require. GOVERNANCE Produce complete and accurate records of patient consultation in line with best practice confidentiality policies and procedures Deliver care according to NHS guidance NICE guidelines and evidence-based care Take part in the maintenance of quality governance systems and processes across the Practice and its activities. Utilise the audit cycle as a means of evaluating the quality of the work of self and the team implementing improvements where required. Work with other clinical teams on improving the quality of healthcare in response to local and national policies and initiatives as appropriate Evaluate patients response to health care provision and the effectiveness of care Support and participate in shared learning across the practice and wider organisation Manage review and identify learning from patient complaints clinical incidents and near-miss events Awareness of statutory safeguarding notification processes and local guidance for children or vulnerable patients. Applying relevant policies and legislation to protect them Ensure compliance with policies, procedures and guidelines for self and others by taking action or alerting senior management team if the practice appears to contravene policy or if there are concerns over any aspect of patient care. CONFIDENTIALITY Maintain confidentiality of information always acting within the terms of the Data Protection Act and Caldicott guidance on patient confidentiality. Maintain an awareness of the Freedom of Information Act. Information relating to patients carers colleagues other healthcare workers or the business of the practice may only be divulged to authorised persons in accordance with the Practice policies and procedures relating to confidentiality and the protection of personal and sensitive data